UEFA Reportedly Covered Up Failed Sergio Ramos Doping Test After 2017 UCL Final

[Scandale du Jour]

UEFA Reportedly Covered Up Failed Sergio Ramos Doping Test After 2017 UCL Final

I know someone brought it up in an order thread, but I think this is thread-worthy.

Basically, Ramos failed a drug test after the finals in 2017. UEFA did not react to it because a doctor fell on the sword (the substance is allowed if the UEFA is notified in advance, the doctor said he messed up some form).

I mean, obviously, I am a Real Madrid fan and for all his faults, I mostly like Ramos. However, no matter who it is, I think it shows how much of a joke anti-dopping rules are. If he failed a test and did not respect the rules, he should have faced punishment.

Click to read more...

 

[Evilo]

You know how I hate Ramos. Everyone knows it.
But :
1/ this is common practice in every sport (to have a doc give the prescription AFTER the guy is caught - plenty on these boards didn't think it was bad when it was Armstrong during his winning years).
2/ I think (but this is speculation, but based on various sources) that most footballers dope at a certain level. Heck, it's amzing the number of them who need a treatment that covers up a banned substance (like Ramos here).

 

[Corto]

Before people get their panties in a bunch, this seems to be a case of Spiegel pushing it this time.
Headline is misleading - and basically wrong.

This is a quote from another site, which sums up the article better than I would've done:

So after reading the article, this headline is misleading.

Ramos was tested and had some of a banned substance.
However, it's a substance that is allowed to be taken before a game if a doctor lists it. The issue was the doctor didn't list it, he listed another substance instead, which was also a banned substance unless listed. As for "not seeing the light of day", this report got sent to Ramos and Real Madrid, they replied (the doctor stating it was his error in listing the wrong substance), UEFA had a consultant expert examine the results, and they deemed it was likely to be an adminstrative error. So that's why it never became a public issue.

The next issue I'm not sure how much it really matters, and is more about Real Madrid and I assume most big clubs.
An unannounced check was done on Real Madrid players, they chose Ronaldo and Kroos, Ronaldo complained he's always chosen, and he got pricked twice since they couldn't find a vein, so complained about that. Real Madrid doctors then got blood samples from the other 8 players which the doping agency officials agreed to. Spiegel is trying to make it sound like special treatment for Real Madrid by UEFA, but I'm not so sure that this is an uncommon occurrence.
This whole thing also included a back and forth with the club explaining themselves to UEFA.

The final item:
After a La liga game in Malaga in April, an official wanted to test Ramos, but Ramos wanted to shower first. The official said he couldn't, Ramos and the team doctor complained that he's allowed to, and eventually Ramos showered in front of the official, even after being told not to. The important part about this is that showering, according to Spiegel, can be seen as obstruction of doping tests. In the end, the anti-doping agency did not see it as an obstruction by Ramos.
Spiegel then hints at corruption by stating it took a couple months, while it should take a couple weeks, but that seems like speculation on their part, unless they have info to prove it.

 

[Scandale du Jour]

What bothers me is not necessarily this case in particular, but the hypocrisy when it comes to doping.

Sports leagues/associations make a big deal about it, but there are SO many loopholes that allow you to dope. I understand it is a hard life and I agree with @Evilo that most footballer are probably on something. If that's the case and it is done with their long-term health in mind, I do not understand why it should be a big deal.

Maybe I do not fully understand the process, but something seems very hypocritical to me. This Ramos case is just another example among many others.

 

[Evilo]

Oh hyprocisy is lodged in every single tissue that makes today's football.
And I'm too much of a fan/idiot to walk away from this circus.

 

[Scandale du Jour]

Oh hyprocisy is lodged in every single tissue that makes today's football.
And I'm too much of a fan/idiot to walk away from this circus.

Yeah, I can relate here. The sports business is a shady one... but I love sports WAY too much. Playing them, watch them, discussing them, etc.

That's why these people can get away with anything. Fans are not regular customers, they are VERY passionate. It is engrained in culture and part of our daily lives. Too bad shady individuals are taking advantage of that. FIFA, IOC, UEFA, CONCACAF, IIHF, whatever, these organizations are corrupt as hell.

When it comes to doping, I do not even really blame the players. They do what they have to do to be the best and, most often then not, they are advised by people how have their OWN best interest come first.

 

[StevenF1919]

If it was a player from a smaller club they would have probably been punted from the competition.

I bet in a couple years it'll come out that the only reason VAR wasn't implemented earlier in the CL is because it would negatively impact Real Madrid.

 

[gary69]

Oh hyprocisy is lodged in every single tissue that makes today's football.
And I'm too much of a fan/idiot to walk away from this circus.

I largely agree, but it's not just "today's football". The game has pretty much been tainted throughout its' history, be it from Miracle of Bern through the constant doping cheating of Maradona via Juventus substances abuse (to mention just a few instances) to this day and age's player "misdemeanours" . The football organisations have been pretty much rotten and corrupt at the top from Havelange to Blatter at least, which has trickled down into everything else below.

Everyone (important) makes money so there's no need to rock the boat. The fans largely don't want to hear about any problems, either.

It seems the best approach to take is enjoy the show on the pitch and forget about the rest. The ancient Roman bread and games -approach, which has always worked well enough.

 

[Theokritos]

This is a quote from another site, which sums up the article better than I would've done:

Link?

Ramos was tested and had some of a banned substance.
However, it's a substance that is allowed to be taken before a game if a doctor lists it. The issue was the doctor didn't list it, he listed another substance instead, which was also a banned substance unless listed.

If this portrayal is accurate then the thread title should be changed. Not that it's technically wrong ("reportedly"), but there is no need to parrot a sensationalist and potentially libelous headline by the media if it appears to be unsupported.

 

[Rexor]

Am I the only one who is slightly concerned about this whole Football Leaks stuff? Has anyone any idea what their motives are, who helps them, how do they obtain their data? I seriously doubt they're just people who manage to hack sites. In such cases there's usually someone within the system that provides the data to people who then publish them. Are these insiders doing it ouf their idealism or rather because they're serving their own interests? These days, it's sometimes way too easy to hide dubious motives under the seemingly irreproachable ideas of moralisation and transparence.

 

[Evilo]

Am I the only one who is slightly concerned about this whole Football Leaks stuff? Has anyone any idea what their motives are, who helps them, how do they obtain their data? I seriously doubt they're just people who manage to hack sites. In such cases there's usually someone within the system that provides the data to people who then publish them. Are these insiders doing it ouf their idealism or rather because they're serving their own interests? These days, it's sometimes way too easy to hide dubious motives under the seemingly irreproachable ideas of moralisation and transparence.

What you need to know here is that in France, Football leaks are given by Mediapart.
And L'Equipe pays a hefty sum to Mediapart in hope of sensasionalist headlines on their papers in order to sell more.

I'll give you an example.
Here in France, there's a huge outcry about football leaks revealing that some PSG youth scouts (organized by someone who's now in Rennes) are using words such as "black kid" or "arab type kid", etc...
Of course it's a problem. You don't limit someone to his skin color or origin. This should not happe.
But as I talked with some scouts they were telling me it was also a way to pass info like "black kid with big afro" for another scount to recognize the guy easily..
Yet the word we hear all the time about this case here is "discrimination". Even from Football leaks and L'Equipe.
What is discrimination? It would be using those information in order not to select these guys because they want an all white team for instance.. Go and take a look at PSG youth team. Tell me it's filled with white only, black only or arab only. Well, duh, NO. Even the team owner is arab !

It's sensationalism. It sells papers.

 

[Evilo]

On the other hand, having nice looking boys and nice looking girls only on L'équipe (and other) TV sports channel IS discrimination.